Governor Vetoes Both Bicycle Bills, AB 748 and SB 523

Schwarzenegger says he "supports" bicycling, but vetoes bike bills

Despite soaring gas prices, obesity levels, and environmental problems, Governor Governor Schwarzenegger chose to veto two important state bills that would have promoted bicycling, AB 748 and SB 523. 

AB 748 would have prohibited tolls for cyclists & pedestrians on bridges and highways, including on the Golden Gate Bridge. Despite this veto, the campaign is not over!  The MCBC believes that AB 748's relative success -- passing the State Senate & Assembly and winning 100% support from the SF & Marin state delegations and mobilizing thousands of people around the state against these tolls -- will make it much more difficult for the GGB District to approve a toll for the Golden Gate Bridge.  Stay tuned for details on how the campaign will shift back to the Bridge District level.

In other troubling news, the Governor also vetoed AB 523, the state Bicycle Transportation Account (BTA), which would have kept state bike funding at its current level of $7.2 million/year. Now, because of the Governor's veto, this funding will decrease to $5 million/year (despite the fact that there are $50 million in qualified applications for funding submitted for each funding cycle).